Employee accused of dipping into till at local liquor store

Man facing drug charges, too

GREENFIELD — A cashier at a local liquor store was charged with larceny and drug possession after his employer said she caught him stealing from the register.

Jacob Bassett, 29, of 259 Conway St., Greenfield, pleaded innocent to charges of larceny under $250, possession of a Class A drug (heroin) and possession of a Class B drug (amphetamines) at his arraignment Friday in Greenfield District Court.

Bassett was arrested early Thursday evening, after the owner of Ryan and Casey Liquors called police and said she saw him pocket cash from the drawer as she watched the security camera’s feed, according to a report filed by Officer Jason Haskins.

Haskins responded to the store at about 4:55 p.m. Thursday. When he got there, owner Kristie Faufaw pointed at Bassett, and told Haskins she’d caught him stealing.

Bassett stared blankly at the officer, visibly sweating, his hands shaking, eyes glassy and pupils constricted, wrote Haskins. He asked Bassett to approach him, and when he did, the owner reached into Bassett’s apron and pulled out $140, the officer wrote.

Faufaw told Haskins it wasn’t the first time money had gone missing from the register.

Examining Bassett, Haskins saw track marks on his arm, he wrote.

During a pat-frisk, Haskins wrote, he discovered nine hypodermic needles, an empty wax baggie, a burnt spoon coated with white residue, and cotton swabs, often used to filter drugs before injection, all on Bassett’s person.

A field test of the residue on the burnt spoon came up positive for amphetamines, according to the report. It, along with other evidence, will be sent for laboratory analysis.

Officer Chad Sumner responded to assist Haskins. Sumner viewed the surveillance footage, and told Haskins he could clearly see Bassett take cash from the register and put it into his apron pocket, wrote Haskins.

Bassett’s arrest Thursday comes on the heals of a conviction for drugged driving.

On Sept. 4, Bassett was found guilty of driving under the influence of drugs, second offense.

The charge stemmed from an afternoon car accident on March 12. Bassett told police he injected four bags of heroin while parked in a Wells Street parking lot that day, decided he was all right to drive, and crashed into a snowbank farther down Wells Street, according to court documents. When officers arrived, Bassett was passed out behind the wheel, and the rear window of the car had to be smashed to get him out of the vehicle, according to the police report.

He was placed on probation until Sept. 3, 2015 in that case. His license was also suspended for two years, and he was ordered to submit to drug screenings and enroll in substance abuse treatment programs.